


Tin Soldier

by teddytherobot



Series: Mortality [1]
Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-11
Updated: 2017-09-11
Packaged: 2018-12-26 12:54:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12059388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teddytherobot/pseuds/teddytherobot
Summary: Even the strongest tin soldiers can be melted down.





	Tin Soldier

"That's...  that's a lot of coolant," Nick Valentine mutters under his breath and his voice comes out as little more than static.  His hands are held to his chest and stomach where fluids are leaking fast.  Synthetic flesh is ripped and torn.  Wires are exposed.  Is this it?  After all he's been through and now he's going to be taken out by a raider ambush?  Was it all for nothing?

 

The raiders has been reduced to a pile of ash, at least.  They won't go on to kill anyone else, Nick has made sure of that.  The detective tries to stand.  No good.  Servos in his legs refuse to cooperate.  Stumbling, falling, back against the wall and then down in a puddle of his own oil and coolant again.  "Damn it.  N-not like thisss," words come out filled with static, glitchy.

 

Oil is leaking from his mouth now, thick and viscous.  A cough erupts from his chest and sprays fluids across the room.  There is so much oil.  What a time to be out in the Commonwealth alone.  The sole survivor had wanted to come.  "No.  No, too dangerous", Nick had said.  That was almost funny now.  A laugh forms that doesn't sound like a laugh.

 

Whirring noises now.  Various systems desperately trying to come back online.  No way to patch the holes fast enough.  The synth looks down at his hand which is slick with coolant.  It feels surreal.  The world slows down as his chronometer begins to fail.  He can't feel his legs anymore.  Those systems have powered down, trying to preserve power.  How much longer does he have left?  What he wouldn't give to not have to be alone.

 

"Shit.  Shit shit shit!  Hang on, brother!  You just need some Stims," audio processors struggle to identify the voice.  Visual sensors are fading and Nick can't seem to focus enough to see who is with him.  Not another raider.  Someone friendly.  Someone holding his limp body.  Jabbing a Stimpack into his... thigh?  He isn't sure.  Hard to tell when you can't feel it.

 

"Hancockkkkk? Thaaaat you?" says a glitching distorted voice that the Ghoul doesn't recognize at all.  He holds his friend close.

 

"Yea, Val, it's me.  It's me, John.  You're gonna be ok, brother," neither of them believed this, "C'mon, tin soldier.  C'mon, you gotta be ok."  Another Stimpack.  It isn't nearly enough.

 

Nick Valentine's yellow eyes look up at his friend and he tries to smile.  "Thanksssss, Hannncock.  Thaaanks for finding," heavy static as he coughs up more fluids, "thanksss for finding meeee.  I didn't waaaant ttttto be alone."

 

The mayor of Goodneighbor has never felt so powerless as he clings to his friend.  Why couldn't he have found this damn warehouse sooner?  Just ten fucking minutes sooner and he could have saved him.  What the hell was he going to tell the vault dweller when he got back?  Tears are on his radiation scarred face as he looks into the unseeing eyes of the detective.  Their glow flickers out.  All of Nick Valentine's systems power down for good and the world is left with one fewer bright heart in the darkness.

 

 

**End**

**Author's Note:**

> Got the idea for this after finding a compilation of the companions death quotes.


End file.
